British MPs debate OSCE in House of Lords

COPENHAGEN, 20 January 2012 – The British government should report more frequently to Parliament on its activities within the OSCE, and the OSCE in Vienna should co-operate more fully with the Parliamentary Assembly, members of the British House of Lords said this week.

Lord Peter Bowness (United Kingdom) and other British parliamentarians made the comments during an hour-long debate about the 56-country OSCE. (Watch the debate here.)

“If Her Majesty’s government is convinced of the importance and relevance of the OSCE, surely statements should be written to parliament after every summit and every ministerial, formal or informal, and from time to time to bring parliament up to date,” said Bowness. “It’s difficult to believe there is nothing in the course of a year which merits some report to parliament.”

Five members of parliament participated in the debate, including Lord Alf Dubs, who spoke of the “lack of connection between the OSCE and the OSCE PA.”

“This disconnect seems to me not proper,” Dubs said. “I hope the Irish presidency will be in a position to do something about that. What surely we need is proper accountability by the OSCE to the PA.”

OSCE PA Secretary General Spencer Oliver applauded the British delegation to the Assembly for holding the debate. “These discussions in parliaments bring added exposure to the OSCE and remind government officials that the public expects them to be held accountable for their work in international organizations like ours,” Oliver said.

Lord William Wallace said, “I’d like to see the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE working more closely together.”

Baroness Vivien Stern highlighted the OSCE’s historic work in election observation, calling human rights “indispensable for real security.”

Lord Roger Liddle cited the value of the OSCE and its multi-lateral diplomacy in a “dangerous world where the trend is against multilateralism.”

Speaking for the British Government, Lord John Patten said, “Someone ought to get a grip on this organization and reform it.”

In 2005, the United Kingdom’s National Audit Office was appointed by the OSCE to certify the accounts of the OSCE and report to the Permanent Council on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the Organization used its resources. Under that mandate, the United Kingdom then recommended the OSCE introduce “a transparent, open and competitive appointment process to increase the "quality and efficiency” of OSCE audit arrangements.

This is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 320 parliamentarians from 55 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

Media Contact:

Neil Simon, OSCE PA Director of Communications
neil@oscepa.dk, +45 60 10 83 80